Bene Israel - Legends of the Children of Israel

Are they one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel who came and settled along the west coast of India or are they refugees who fled from persecution as a new faith swept through Northern Arabia in the 7th century CE. The 5000 people strong Bene Israelis or ‘Children of Israel’ are a fascinating albeit fast dwindling community that has clutched on to its history and legends along the coast near Mumbai. The most famous of these legends takes you to a small village called Sagaon in East Raigad District near Alibaug. It is believed that it is from here that Prophet Elijah ascended to heaven. Whether it was from here or from Haifa in Israel, where it is believed that God took him to heave through a whirlwind, as other Israelis believe, what you cannot deny is that legends, myths and history come together to script a fascinating story around this little known community. The Jews landed and settled in India in different waves. The Malabar Jews came in approximately in the 11th century BCE, the Baghdadi Jews during the 18th Century CE and the Bene Israelis who came in approximately between 7-8th century BCE. While this was in the west coast, recent discoveries indicate that early Jews were also present in the east - in Hyderabad and as far in as Mizoram. Mostly settled along the Western flank - Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and few in the villages on the Konkan coast, there are various theories about their origin. While there is no concrete record of their arrival, some suggest that the Bene Israelis were refugees who fled from Islamic persecution of the Jews in Northern Arabia in the 7th century CE. Others believe they are an offshoot of the Jewish colonies in Yemen, or descendants of the Babylonian-Persian diaspora. One theory proposed by Dr. Wilson (1804-1875 CE) – a Christian missionary and educator in the Bombay Presidency suggest that they could be one of the ten lost tribes of Israel that were said to have been deported from the Kingdom of Israel after its conquest by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE. The Bombay Gazetteer gives an account of the Bene Israel, in which it is stated that that they came to India in the 6th century BCE, either from Aden or from the Persian Gulf. The community has its own take on where they come from. Passed down through oral traditions, is a mix of interesting theories about their origin and early life in India. The community claims that their ancestors reached Indian shores some 2,000 years ago. Haeem Samuel Kehimkar, one of the notable Bene-Israeli Jews, historians and author of the book ‘The History of the Bene Israel’ who wrote extensively on the community, mentions varied theories from different sources about the origin of the Bene Israel. He narrates that the Jews came to India some two thousand years ago from Palestine through Egypt via the Red Sea. According to legend, the ship that they were travelling on, crashed on the western coast of India, on the Konkan strip around 2,000 years ago. This ship came from Northern Palestine in order to avoid persecution. The ship on which they came, was found wrecked near the Khanderi Islands just off the western coast. Only seven men and seven women survived the shipwreck. They took refuge on the shores of Navgaon, a small village on the coast around 100 kms from Mumbai. Many of the bodies of those drowned were washed to the shores of this village where the seven surviving pairs took refuge. Though this may fee ...